1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a variable movement headrest arrangement for providing support to the head of an occupant of a vehicle upon vehicle impact.
2. Background Art
Improvements in safety mechanisms in the automotive industry continue to be made year after year. Such safety mechanisms include safety headrests. An example of safety seat headrests can be found in Viano et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,043, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such safety headrest mechanisms provide support to the head of a vehicle occupant during crash situations.
More specifically, upon rear impact of a vehicle, the occupant of the vehicle compresses into the vehicle seatback, as the head, neck, and torso move substantially in unison. There typically is greater compression in the torso and buttocks regions than in the shoulder region of the occupant. Thus, it has been a concern that the seatback may possibly deflect under the torso and buttocks load before the head and neck of the occupant contacts the headrest attached to the seatback.
Upon front impact of a vehicle, an occupant of the vehicle moves forward relative to the vehicle seatback. Upon contact with a front interior panel or a deployed airbag from the front panel, the occupant experiences rebound movement in a rearward direction. Similar to a rear impact situation as described above, the occupant in such a situation would then provide a rearward load into the seatback and compress into the vehicle seatback, as the head, neck, torso, and buttocks move substantially in unison. Thus, in a front impact it is also a concern that the seatback may possibly deflect under the torso load prior to the head and neck of the occupant contacting the headrest.
As a result, safety headrest mechanisms have been designed such that, upon impact having rearward movement of a seat occupant, the occupant""s torso contacts an impact target of a vehicle seat with a rearward load or force. The impact target is operatively connected to a headrest or such that, upon the rearward load on the impact target, the headrest portion moves forward toward the head of the occupant. The forward movement of the headrest portion in the crash situation lessens the gap which may exist between the occupant""s head and the headrest portion, preventing or lessening the risk of whiplash to the occupant.
However, it is desirable to have the headrest arrangement move forward at a high initial velocity in order to decrease the gap between the occupant""s head and headrest portion more quickly, but without contacting the occupant""s head while moving at the high initial velocity.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a cost effective mechanism to support the head of an occupant of a vehicle upon front and rear vehicle impact.
In carrying out the above object, and other objects and features of this invention, a new vehicle seat and headrest arrangement for use with a seat having a seatback in a vehicle is provided. The vehicle seat and headrest arrangement comprises a headrest arrangement having a headrest, the headrest arrangement having one of a guide member and a follower. The seatback has the other one of a guide member and follower. The guide member has a guideway and the follower engaging the guideway of the guide member such that upon impact to the vehicle, forward inertia of the headrest will cause the follower to engage the guideway in such a manner to cause the headrest to move in a manner to support the head of an occupant irrespective of whether occupant is in contact with the seatback.
In a more specific embodiment, the engagement of the follower and the guideway of the guide member together with the forward inertia of the headrest cause the headrest to move in a first manner and a second manner so as to support the head of an occupant.
In another more specific embodiment, the vehicle seat and headrest arrangement further includes a damper connected between the headrest arrangement and the seatback so as to retard movement of the headrest after it has moved in a manner so as to support the head of an occupant.
In another more specific embodiment, the guideway member is a bushing having a cam configuration and the follower is a cam such that engagement of the cam and cam configuration together with the forward inertia of the headrest cause the headrest to move in a first manner and a second manner.
In another more specific embodiment, the guideway of the guide member has a first guideway wall and a second guideway wall and the follower has a first follower portion and a second follower portion which engage the first guideway wall and second guideway wall respectively to cause the headrest to move in a first manner and a second manners so as to support the head of an occupant. The second guideway wall may have a first contact portion and a second contact portion and the second follower portion may have a first surface portion and a second surface portion such that upon impact to the vehicle, the first surface portion slidingly engages the first contact portion while the first follower portion slidingly engages the first guideway wall so as to cause the headrest to move in a first manner before the second surface portion slidingly engages the second contact portion as first follower portion continues to slidingly engage the first guideway wall so as to cause the headrest to move in a second manner. The first and second contact portions and the first and second surface portions may have relatively curved surface configurations and the first guideway wall and first follower portion may have relatively flat configurations substantially parallel to each other and inclined so as to facilitate sliding between the first guideway wall and first follower portion and movement in the first manner.
In another more specific embodiment, the headrest arrangement includes a headrest extension having one of a guideway member and a follower.
In another more specific embodiment, the vehicle seat and headrest arrangement further includes a movement-allowing connector connected between the headrest arrangement and the seatback.
In another more specific embodiment, the vehicle seat and headrest arrangement further includes a biasing member operatively associated with the seatback and the headrest arrangement which tends to bias the headrest against movement in a manner so as to support the head of an occupant.
The vehicle seat and headrest arrangement for use with a seat having a seatback in a vehicle may also comprise a headrest arrangement including a headrest, the headrest arrangement having at least one impact target and at least one of a guide member and a follower. The seatback has the other at least one of a guide member and follower. The guide member has a guideway and the follower engaging the guideway of the guide member such that upon impact to the vehicle one of a rearward load by the occupant upon the impact target and the forward inertia of the headrest irrespective of whether occupant is in contact with the seatback will cause the follower to engage the guideway in such a manner to cause the headrest to move in a manner to support the head of an occupant.
In a more,specific embodiment, the follower engages the guideway of the guide member such that upon impact to the vehicle the headrest may be moved in a first manner and a second manner so as to support the head of an occupant by one of a rearward load by the occupant upon the impact target and the forward inertia of the headrest irrespective of whether occupant is in contact with the seatback.
In another more specific embodiment, the vehicle seat and headrest arrangement further includes a damper connected between the headrest arrangement and the seatback so as to retard movement of the headrest after it has moved so as to support the head of an occupant.
In another more specific embodiment, the guide member is a bushing having a cam configuration and the follower is a cam such that engagement of the cam and cam configuration together with the forward inertia of the headrest cause the headrest to move in a first manner and a second manner.
In another more specific embodiment, the guideway has a first guideway wall and a second guideway wall and the follower has a first follower portion and a second follower portion which engages the first guideway wall and second guideway wall respectively to cause the headrest to move in a first manner and a second manners so as to support the head of an occupant. The second guideway wall may have a first contact portion and a second contact portion and the second follower portion may have a first surface portion and a second surface portion such that upon impact to the vehicle, the first surface portion slidingly engages the first contact portion while the first follower portion slidingly engages the first guideway wall so as to cause the headrest to move in a first manner before the second surface portion slidingly engages the second contact portion as first follower portion continues to slidingly engage the first guideway wall so as to cause the headrest to move in a second manner. The first and second contact portions and the first and second surface portions may have relatively curved surface configurations and the first guideway wall and first follower portion may have relatively flat configurations substantially parallel to each other and inclined so as to facilitate sliding between the first guideway wall and first follower portion and movement in the first manner.
In another more specific embodiment, the vehicle seat and headrest arrangement further includes a movement-allowing connector connected between the headrest arrangement and the seatback.
In another more specific embodiment, the vehicle seat and headrest arrangement further includes a biasing member operatively associated with the seatback and the headrest arrangement which tends to bias the headrest against movement in a manner so as to support the head of an occupant.
The vehicle seat and headrest arrangement may also comprise a headrest arrangement including a headrest and a headrest extension, the headrest extension having at least one of a guide member and a follower and an impact target located below the at least one of a guide member and a follower. A seatback frame of the seatback has the other at least one of a guide member and follower, the guide member having a guideway and the follower slidingly engaging the guideway of the guide member such that upon impact to the vehicle one of a rearward load by the occupant upon the impact target and the forward inertia of the headrest irrespective of whether occupant is in contact with the seatback will cause the follower to be slidably guided by the guideway such that the headrest is moved in a first and second manner.
In another more specific embodiment, the vehicle seat and headrest arrangement further includes a movement-allowing connector connected between the headrest arrangement and the seatback and a biasing member operatively associated with the seatback and the headrest arrangement which tends to bias the headrest against movement in a manner so as to support the head of an occupant.
The vehicle seat and headrest arrangement further includes a damper connected between the headrest arrangement and the seatback so as to retard movement of the headrest after it has moved so as to support the head of an occupant.
In another more specific embodiment, the guide member is fixedly attached to the seatback frame and has a first guideway wall and a second guideway wall and the follower is fixedly attached to the headrest extension and has a first follower portion and a second follower portion which slidingly engage the first guideway wall and second guideway wall respectively. The second guideway wall may have first and second contact portions having relatively curved surface configurations, the second follower portion may have first and second surface portions having relatively curved surface configurations, and the first guideway wall and first follower portion may have relatively flat configurations substantially parallel to each other and inclined relative to the headrest extension such that upon impact to the vehicle, the first surface portion slidingly engages the first contact portion while the first follower portion slidingly engages the first guideway wall so as to cause the headrest to move in a first manner before the second surface portion slidingly engages the second contact portion as the first follower portion continues to slidingly engage the first guideway wall so as to cause the headrest to move in a second manner.